During my time with SHoP Architects, I was able to work on diverse and exciting projects that shaped the built environment of New York as well as important and symbolic structures internationally. Working from concept design through construction administration, I was able to focus on maintaining the integrity and beauty of our designs through the building process.
During my time with SHoP Architects, I was able to work on diverse and exciting projects that shaped the built environment of New York as well as important and symbolic structures internationally. Working from concept design through construction administration, I was able to focus on maintaining the integrity and beauty of our designs through the building process.
During my time with SHoP Architects, I was able to work on diverse and exciting projects that shaped the built environment of New York as well as important and symbolic structures internationally. Working from concept design through construction administration, I was able to focus on maintaining the integrity and beauty of our designs through the building process.
KELLY BECKMAN
HYDROTHERAPY TREATMENT CENTER AND SPA | Hot : Cold
ARCH 601 // FALL 2015 // DOUG OLIVER & WILL CANNADY
HYDROTHERAPY SPA
Hot : Cold
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In this partner project to create a hydrotherapy treatment center and spa located in the dense urban fabric of New York City, we created a space of escape and program variation while also capitalizing on energy efficiency. The fluid curves are evocative of the program type, the atrium design is referential of the communal appeal of historical baths, the simplistic material palette reflects a sense of purity and serenity that resonates throughout the building, and the taught object-like form creates a monumental presence on the corner of Canal Street and West End Avenue.
The diverse set of programs and types are organized in section to interact vertically, creating both a programmatic and spatial mix. First we organized the programs based on wet, dry, and relative size- large communal dry spaces are paired with open flexible pool (or “wet”) programs while compartmentalized spaces (massage rooms, exam rooms, etc) are grouped together. Then we arranged the pools and programs from cold to hot to create HVAC efficiency and a sense of transition through the building- starting with ice baths and exam rooms in the “cold” programs to workout spaces and aerobics pools in the “moderate” programs and finally to flexibility, saunas, and whirlpools in the “hot” programs. Then we used this organization to create programmatic relationships as well as an accelerated solar chimney that utilizes the increasing temperatures. By mixing program and types, users experience new parts of the building each time.
Structurally, the building is four floors cast in concrete with three mezzanines hung by steel cable in the stacked bar between these concrete floors and between the two cores. The public open spaces (such as the large exercise rooms and the pools) are found on the concrete floors; while the private rooms (massage, treatment, etc.) are found on the hung mezzanines in the stacked bar overlooking the public spaces. The “wet” areas of the building cantilever out to create a sense of weightlessness. These cast-in-place concrete slabs form to create pools of various depths and program. The columns grow out of the poured concrete floor plates to carry the heaviest pool loads. The loads from these columns are redirected towards a kickstand on the south-east corner of the building, creating a directional presence on Canal Street near the main entry.
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The HVAC system is embedded in the concrete slab and columns, using radiant pipes to create a thermal mass. Additionally, the columns help with the movement and drainage of water. The solar chimney creates air flow in the atrium, while ducts bring air to the rooms in the bar. When the weather is not ideal for use of the solar chimney, air is blown up from the basement and pulled through the atrium using smoke purge fans located in the louvered top mechanical floor. Mechanical equipment lies on the lower basement level and top floor, with machines requiring air intake or ventilation on the top floor. The two are connected by a mechanical shaft (and connected fire stair core) on the west side of the building in the stacked bar.
While the HVAC system is embedded and hidden, water system that service the pools are exposed. The pipes servicing the pools create a track around the perimeters of the wet areas in the floated atrium. The water system is also manifested on the exterior as distinct, monumental copper pipes that act as a graphic tool on the west facade.
